Israel has yet to respond to a French proposal aimed at reducing tensions on the Lebanese-Israeli border, according to French foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine. While Lebanon’s response to the proposal was “rather favorable,” Israel has not given an official reply.
The proposal, presented by French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné during visits to Lebanon and Israel, includes ending violence on both sides, withdrawing Hezbollah’s elite al-Radwan forces and other armed groups ten kilometers from the border, and enhancing the role of UNIFIL and the Lebanese army in the region. Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri recently delivered Lebanon’s response to the French embassy.
French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian also left Beirut without securing an agreement on electing a Lebanese president, warning that the political stability of Lebanon is at risk.